Comparison of Red in Chinese and English Yanping Bai

Comparison of Red in Chinese and English
Yanping Bai

Abstract

This paper attempts to compare the different semantic meanings of red in Chinese and English with the purpose of illustrat-
ing on a very simple level the reason why Chinese and English speakers have difficulty understanding each other. The deno-
tations of red in Chinese and English are listed in entries of Chinese, English, and bilingual dictionaries. Though the literal

denotations are similar, the connotations of red in one language do not map exactly onto counterparts in the other language
due to cultural and linguistic differences. In Chinese, red is regarded as a symbol of happiness and good luck, thereby occu-
pying a substantial position in Chinese culture; while in English, it seems to have no similar meaning. Red has positive, nega-

tive, and warning connotations in both languages, but each language has distinctively different expressions to indicate the
same meanings. This paper elaborates the equivalence and nonequivalence of red in both languages.

Introduction sashes or cloth as a sign of honor,

Due to the differences in culture and history, festivity, etc.’) c. To symbolize

Chinese and English can express the same something that is successful or goes

meaning in different ways, and it is often that smoothly: (hong yun: ‘good

the same word carries quite different connota- luck’) d. To symbolize somebody

tions. This paper takes the word red as an ex- that is the favorite of the leader or

ample and illustrates its denotations and con- popular with the audience: (zou

notations in the two languages. In Chinese hong: ‘become popular’) (Contemporary

culture, the reason why Chinese people wor- Modern Chinese Dictionary, 2005, p. 563);

ship red can date back to ancient times, when e. To symbolize high consciousness

people worshiped the Sun God. An ancient in revolution and politics:

emperor, (yan di) [Red Emperor], (hongse genjvdi: ‘red base’) f. To

claimed that he was the avatar of the Sun God. denote bonus and dividend:

The Chinese were called the offspring of the (hong li: ‘bonus’); g. To refer to a sur-
Red Emperor. Therefore, red has been related
name: (hong yun: ‘Hong, Yun’)
to glory and carried positive connotations (Ji-
(New Chinese-English Dictionary, 2003, p.
ang, Liu, Sun, Zhu, Su, Chen, Yu, & Yuan, n.
567-568).
d.). In contrast, in western culture red is

mainly related to blood (Ammer, 1992, p. 137- For Chinese people, it is easy to infer the

138) and is usually loaded with negative con- connotations of red from its denotations. Chi-
nese people have paid special attention to the
notations.
color red since the ancient times due to their
The Denotations and Connotations of
worship of the Sun God as mentioned earlier.
Red in Chinese and English They thought red was the color of their ances-
The Denotations and Connotations of Red in
tors, and thus red is traditionally considered an
Chinese auspicious color in Chinese culture and repre-
sents happiness and good luck, thereby play-
The Chinese character for red is (hong). Ac- ing a significant role in important celebrations,
such as weddings and festivals, in common
cording to the Contemporary Modern Chinese Dic- expressions and other contexts (Jiang et al.,
n. d.).
tionary (2005) and the New Chinese-English Dic-

tionary (2003), it has the following meanings:

a. The color that looks like blood:

(hong zao: ‘red dates’); b. The red

cloth to symbolize the happiness and

celebration: (pi hong: ‘wear red

_____________________

Bai, Y. (2010). Comparison of red in Chinese and English. Hawaii Pacific University TESOL Working Paper Series 8 (1, 2), 33-38.
Publication’s website: http://www.hpu.edu/index.cfm?contentID=8064&siteID=1

The Denotations and Connotations of Red in tured in the act of committing a crime. In ad-
English dition to these collocations, red is related to
passion, love, and beauty. Red roses are
According to the Webster’s Third New Interna- commonly considered a symbol of love.
tional Dictionary (1993) and the Oxford Advanced Women wearing red clothes or lipstick are
Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary (2004), red thought more attractive.
can be defined as follows:
Comparing the Meaning of Red in
a. Of the color red, lit by or as if by Chinese and English
fire: red rose/hills; b. Dyed with red In both languages, the core meaning of red
or having red as a distinguishing
color: the red hat, captain of the red refers to a color. Red’s prototypical meaning as
team; c. Stained, full of or colored a warning comes from our biological make-up;
with blood: the red hands and sharp humans have similar physical mechanisms of
knives of the fishermen; d. Heated to the eye and brain to perceive information
redness: red slag from a blast furnace;
e. Characterized by wrath or violence: around us, and red is a color which may excite
red rage; f. Inciting or endorsing
sweeping social or political reform anxiety in the brain. Other physiological ac-
esp. by the use of force: fighting the tivities, such as menstruation, blushing, and
red guerrillas; g. Failing to show a
profit: haven’t had a red month in the sex, result in another meaning of red. Al-
past year (Webster’s Third New Interna- though red has many nonequivalent meanings
tional Dictionary,1993, p. 1990); h. (1)
(Of the eyes) bloodshot or sur- in Chinese and English, they still share certain
rounded by red or very pink: Her characteristics because of their shared proto-
eyes were red from crying; (2) (Of the typicality (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman,
face) bright red or pink, especially be- 1999, p. 43). The senses of red in Chinese cor-
cause you are angry, embarrassed or respond to many of the senses of red in Eng-
ashamed: He stammered something lish.
and went very red in the face; (3) (Of
hair or an animal’s fur) reddish- Positive Connotations of Red in Chinese
brown in color: red deer/squirrels; i. and English
(Informal) (sometimes disapproving,
politics) having very LEFT-WING At one level, red has positive connotations in
political opinion. Besides this, there both Chinese and English. As explained ear-
are some meanings related to nouns - lier, because red is so important in Chinese
- for example, the color of blood or culture, it is associated with many positive
fire; red cloth or clothing; a pigment meanings. When people celebrate the most
or dye that colors red; a person with important festival in China -- the Spring Fes-
very LEFT-WING political opinion; tival, they often stick red couplets (two pieces
red alert. (The Oxford Advanced of red paper with good luck words written on
Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary, them) on the two sides of the gate, hang red
2004, p. 1445) lanterns outside and set off red firecrackers1
to express a sense of celebration. Usually,
Red in the western culture does not seem grandparents and parents give children “lucky
so joyous compared to that in Chinese. It is
mainly associated with heat, disapproval, loss money” in red envelopes as New Year’s gifts.

of money and anger. Red heat refers to high Some people even wear a red belt or red un-
derwear on lunar New Year’s Day for good
temperature causing certain substances to luck. In addition to this festival, red items are
widely used during other celebrations. For in-
glow red; red-faced refers to a face turning red stance, on National Day, the Lantern Festival,
and Labor Day, streets and town squares are
because of feeling of anger or embarrassment; usually decorated with red flags and different
kinds of red flowers to bring about a joyous
red-haired is associated with deceitfulness. To environment (Jiang et al., n. d.).
be caught red-handed is a term for being cap-
34

Another important occasion is the wed- cards and gifts of Valentine’s Day. A red-
blooded American means a true and brave
ding, a vital moment in one’s life. Chinese American who is energetic. Red hot can be

people often call it the “red wedding cere- used to describe something that is extremely
popular or full of enthusiasm and energy in
mony.” The bride always wears red clothes English. The pope’s hat and the cardinals’
vestments embody their authoritative position
from top to bottom: a red cheongsam, (a tra- in the Catholic Church.

ditional Chinese gown), red socks and red In both Chinese and English, a red ribbon

shoes in order to get good luck. Before meet- is regarded as the symbol of solidarity show-
ing our care for affected AIDS patients, our
ing the bride, the groom wears a red tie and passion for life, and our desire for equality.

decorates the wedding car with red roses. In- Negative Connotations of Red in Chinese
and English
side the groom’s pockets are red packets that
Red Related to Warning
are for children and guests to share their Although red has positive meanings, it also
connotes warning in both English and Chi-
pleasure and good luck.
nese. This is because red is a distinctive color
Red is also widely used in Chinese expres-
“that stands out well in most everyday settings
sions. When it comes to talking about some- and consequently is admirably suited to warn-
ing people of danger” (Bennett, 1988, p. 61)
one with good luck, he is described as so that it has the connotation of warning in
both Chinese and English. Fire engines used
(hong yun gao zhao) [red fortune high shine]. to be painted red in the U.S. and they are still
red in China. When a disaster is coming or
A business, for example a restaurant which predicted, governments announce a red alert.
The red flag is used to indicate dangerous or
has a good start, is always said to problematic situations. The red traffic light
shows we should stop. And in soccer, the
(kai men hong) [open door red]. referee shows red cards as the most severe
penalty to warn those who violate rules. A
Some idiomatic expressions also convey sea-going vessel with a red navigation light is
warning other vessels approaching to avoid an
some positive meanings related to red. For ex- accident, and it is the same with brake lights
on a car.
ample, Chinese use (hong guan man
Red with Negative Connotations
mian) [red light all over face] to say somebody
A warning tries to prevent something bad to
is energetic. (hong jue) [red star] to show happen, but red also connotes something
negative that has already happened. Both Chi-
an actor/actress is popular with audiences. In nese and English use red for situations such as
anger (Examples 1 and 2) or prostitution (Ex-
Chinese, the honor roll is (hong bang) amples 3 and 4).

[red roll]; enjoying great popularity is 35

(hong de fa zi) [red become purple]; jewels

and jades were referred to as red as (hong

huo) [red goods] in the old times; having a

loyal heart means (hong xin) [red heart];

calling the earth (hong tu di) [red

earth] expresses passion for it. All of these

examples given above start with the Chinese

character for red, (hong) (New Chinese – Eng-

lish Dictionary, 2003).

In English also, there are some cases re-

flecting the connections between red and spe-

cial, ceremonial meanings. They have “red-

letter days” on their calendar to show special

days and lay out “the red carpet” to welcome

honorable or important guests (Bennet, 1988,
p. 60). To paint the town red is an expression

for celebration or someone getting excited.

When Christmas day is approaching, Santa

Claus is a man wearing a red hat and red

clothes to give children gifts. Red socks and

red Christmas flowers are often used to deco-

rate for the season. On Valentine’s Day, red

hearts are common symbols appearing on

(1) (8) I didn’t get a red cent for all my work.
He always not have and
The Chinese sentence (5) means that he has

other persons red (past tense) face spent more than what he has earned, and the
“He never gets angry with others.”
English expression “into the red” in (6) means

one owes money to the bank for he has spent

(2) John went red in the face when he saw more than he has in his account (Oxford Ad-
the damaged antique.
vanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary, 2004).

(3) Thus, sentences (5) and (6) express similar
she past go is a
red meanings. The Chinese sentence in (7) indi-

cates the owner had a prosperous business2

and the English sentence in (8) refers to mak-

dirt lady ing money. In essence, red in sentences (7)
“She used to be a lady of the night.”
and (8) generally expresses the same meaning.
The red-light district is on the street that
runs along the harbor. Despite these apparent equivalences,

In sentences (1) and (2), we can see that red however, people in Chinese say (hong
expresses the emotion of anger. The state of
anger makes the heart pump hard and blood zhang) [red account] to mean a positive bal-
is driven to produce a red face. The English
phrase “to see red ” also expresses the same ance of the budget, but in English, a red bal-
meaning. Red in the last two sentences refers
to prostitution, which is considered a vice or ance is negative3 while the positive balance is
sin, and therefore negative, in both cultures. referred to as in the black (as in Black Friday in

America, the day following Thanksgiving Day,

when many people shop for the upcoming

holiday, thus retailers are making a profit and

putting the stores’ balance out of the red and

back into the black).

The Non-Equivalences of Red in Chinese Meaning Non-Equivalence
and English In Chinese and English, sometimes similar
meanings are expressed by different color
Although the senses of one word in one lan- words, or the same color expresses different
guage correspond to many of the meanings of meanings. These differences also involve the
its counterpart in another language, there are word red.
often senses that do not correspond (Celce- (9) He is green with envy because of my
Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999, p. 37). The
word red is not an exception. new car.

Partially Overlapped Meaning (10)
In Chinese and English, there are some mean- he eyes red my new car
ings of red that overlap to some extent but not “He is jealous of my new car.”
completely.
(5) In English sentence (9), the word green ex-

his account face on appear red word presses the meaning of jealousy or envy
“His account was recorded in the red.”
which embodies a similar connotation with
(6) The company has plunged 37 million
dollars into the red. yan hong) [eye red]) in Chinese. In other

(7) cases, greenback is used to refer to the Ameri-
this small store’s business
can banknote while Chinese bills are red. In
more do more red (past tense)
“The business of this store became suc- the stock market, the color red is used to indi-
cessful and the owner made more
money.” cate the decreasing and increasing of the stock
in opposite directions in the two languages.
When the market is going up, the numbers are

described as red in Chinese but in English,
the color red indicates falling. The famous

novel, the Scarlet Letter, told the story of a

36

woman who wore a red letter “A” stitched to because he thought an exact translation “is
somewhat misleading” invoking a highly sug-
the front of her dress to show humiliation for gestive image “full of charm and mystery” and
sex which “was not what the Chinese implies”
adultery (Hawthorne, 2004). In Chinese, in- (p. 19). Instead, he translated it as The Story of
The Stone. Although The Story of The Stone was
stead, people always gossip that a woman’s praised as one of the best translations by The
Times Literary Supplement and gained Hawkes
husband wears a green hat if she is convicted fame, I think it is really a shame that the word
red is lost in the translation, as with it, some
of adultery. In England, the postal car is red, original cultural elements inherent in the
novel are lost as well.
while in China, the mail cars have been
Finally, red has connotations of donations
painted green. The most popular Chinese
in English. Red Nose Day refers to a day on
classic novel (hong lou meng) [red which people wear plastic red noses to make
an appeal for donations in England. In Can-
chamber dream] describes a story happening ada, people use red poppy flowers in memory
of war heroes and collect money at the same
in glorious mansions. However, when the time. In Chinese, however, there are no such
connotations.
British translator, David Hawkes (1974),
Conclusion
translated it into English, yi hong
This paper explores the denotations and con-
gong zi) [happy red boy] was translated into notations for red in Chinese and English. Be-
cause of distinctively different cultural back-
Green Boy, and (yi hong yuan) [happy grounds, the core meaning of red leads to
different abstract meanings in each language.
red yard] as the Court of Green. Chinese Chinese people used to think they were de-
(hong tang) [red sugar] is called brown sugar in scendants of the Sun God and red is the color
of the Sun God, so the original worship en-
English. (hong cha) [red tea] in Chinese is dows festival meanings of red in Chinese cul-
ture. Red in English is mostly related to nega-
the name for black tea in English. tive connotations, such as anger, guilt and sin,
and the main reason may be the correlation
Although many expressions for red in with blood. However, apart from different
core denotations and connotations of red in
Chinese have an equivalent expression in both Chinese and English, both languages
have similar connotations for positive, nega-
English, sometimes the word for red is trans- tive and warning. This paper takes red as an
example to illustrate that semantic differences
lated with words that have no relationship between languages have a close relationship
with cultural differences. This exploration is
with colors in the two languages. For instance, just a small step in an effort to assist the inte-
gration of the language and culture in second
sweet potatoes in English are called language acquisition.

(hong shu) [red potato] in Chinese whether or

not they have red skins; while red potatoes in

English are called (tu dou) [earth bean] in

Chinese no matter what color the skin is.

To see another difference between the

two languages concerning the word red, con-

sider this sentence:

(11) He is the English teacher’ pet.

Chinese speakers may wonder what the mean-

ing of the word “pet” really is. As a matter of

fact, the Chinese word (hong ren) [red

person] is usually used to express the favorite

person of the teacher. Chinese speakers some-

times use the word red to describe the money

given away as a bribe, but English speakers
may call it bribe money, which has nothing to

do with red. Hawkes (1974) did not use the

word red in the title of Chinese classic novel

(hong lou meng) [red chamber dream],

37

Notes 3 In English red ink derives its meaning from “the
bookkeeping practice of marking debits in red
1 Firecrackers have been recently banned in China pencil or ink and credits in black” (Ammer,
and this tradition was discontinued. 1992, p. 160).

2 (chi) [red] in (5) and (huo) [red fire] in (7) Jiang, X. F., Liu, C., Sun, X., Zhu, D., Su, C.,
Chen, Q.Y., Yu, M.Z., & Yuan, J. (n. d.).
are synonymous with (hong) [red], in Chinese. The historical origin, modern application and
spread of Chinese red. Retrieved December
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